Gazans sleep in wet beds under makeshift tents as rainy season begins


Mona Farag
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Palestinians in Gaza woke up to rain on Tuesday as the heavy Israeli bombardment continues.

Thousands of Gazans have sought shelter in crowded hospitals, schools and makeshift camps, forced to share cramped quarters as a cold front moves in, heralding the winter season.

But many tents are barely keeping the cold and rain out due to poor construction.

“Our beds are drenched, the makeshift nylon tarps didn't protect us,“ said Ibrahim Salanta, 29, who has been displaced by the war and forced to live in a tent in Khan Younis.

“We are two families of 12 people cramped in a tent, we can't continue in these conditions. This will mean death for us, without clean water, food and dry quarters.”

Most people in Gaza were displaced due to Israeli army warnings to vacate the northern Gaza Strip.

The wet weather is expected to continue through Tuesday night. The remainder of the week will see highs of 24°C and lows of 17°C, with more rain forecast for the weekend.

Women and children are struggling to keep warm, with belongings lost in the move south or Israeli shelling on their homes. Aid coming in from the Rafah border crossing is the only respite for the internally displaced.

“I went to look for some warm clothes for the 14 family members camped in with me under the flimsy nylon tarps and came back to whatever we have drenched by the rain," said Umm Rafiq Al Tarabeesh, who is currently displaced in Khan Younis.

“The nylon tarps are beyond useless, they can't protect us from anything let alone rainfall. We are cold and need some dry, warm clothes to keep us going.”

Humanitarian supplies started to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing on October 21. There has been no mention of tents or any sort of housing units being sent as part of the relief packages.

Convoys carrying aid from around the world have converged on Rafah, the only border crossing into the besieged Gaza Strip not controlled by Israel.

The UN has long said the aid getting in – mostly water, food and medicine – has fallen far short of the levels needed after more than five weeks of bombardment and a complete blockade by Israel.

Since the start of the war, Jordan has sent $28 million worth of medicine and food to the occupied West Bank and Gaza, government spokesman Muhannad Al Mubaidin said.

The UAE and Qatar have been airlifting supplies to Egypt to be transported into Gaza since the war began on October 7.

To date, more than 168,000 tonnes of aid have been successfully sent to Gaza through the Rafah border.

Rashid Mubarak Al Mansouri, acting secretary general for local affairs at the Emirates Red Crescent, told The National getting supplies to Gazans was crucial, especially with winter approaching.

Displaced Palestinians sleeping on the floor at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, the southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday. EPA
Displaced Palestinians sleeping on the floor at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, the southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday. EPA

“We have entrusted a team in Egypt with the task of purchasing all the needs related to winter aid,” he said.

“This includes heating equipment, blankets, winter clothes, food and children’s supplies."

He said the region can be affected by rain and snow throughout winter.

Meanwhile, Andrea De Domenico, the UN humanitarian co-ordinator for the Palestinian territories, said the fuel crisis in Gaza was so dire that no working vehicles were available to deliver the food, water and medicine to those in desperate need.

“Lives in Gaza are hanging by a thread due to the bleeding of fuel and medical supplies,” he said.

A representative for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry insisted Egypt had not closed the Rafah border crossing.

Ahmed Abou Zeid said it was Israel and not Egypt impeding the delivery of aid into Gaza.

More than a month into the war, more than 11,000 Gazans have been killed in Israeli bombardments – more than five times the death toll of the Israel-Hamas war in 2014.

Israel’s blockade of Gaza has left two million people without access to drinking water, food, medical supplies and fuel, leading to the collapse of the health system, with the number of injured having passed 25,000.

Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.

Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.

The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.

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Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in

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Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

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Results

Stage 7:

1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29

2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time

3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious

4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep

5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM

General Classification:

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35

3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02

4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42

5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45

The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3

Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)

Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)

Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)

Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)

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AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

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Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
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Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

Seven tips from Emirates NBD

1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details

2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet

3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details

4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure

5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs  (one-time passwords) with third parties

6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies

7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately

Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

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Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco

2.5 / 5 stars

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Manchester United 1
Fred (18')

Wolves 1
Moutinho (53')

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog

Born: High Wycombe, England

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Favourite spot in the UAE: Al Dhafra. It’s unique, natural, inaccessible, unspoilt.

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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

How they line up for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix

1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

2 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari

3 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari

4 Max Verstappen, Red Bull

5 Kevin Magnussen, Haas

6 Romain Grosjean, Haas

7 Nico Hulkenberg, Renault

*8 Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull

9 Carlos Sainz, Renault

10 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes

11 Fernando Alonso, McLaren

12 Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren

13 Sergio Perez, Force India

14 Lance Stroll, Williams

15 Esteban Ocon, Force India

16 Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso

17 Marcus Ericsson, Sauber

18 Charles Leclerc, Sauber

19 Sergey Sirotkin, Williams

20 Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso

* Daniel Ricciardo qualified fifth but had a three-place grid penalty for speeding in red flag conditions during practice

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Updated: November 14, 2023, 10:27 AM`